by Alexie Aaron
Ralph shook his finger at her. “You said you’d be quiet and listen.”
“You did say that,” Ted reminded her.
Mia turned to her husband. “Whose side are you on?”
“Yours, pumpkin,” Ted said. “I was just pointing out…”
“Shush,” Ralph said. “She only gave us fifteen minutes to plead our case.”
Ted pretended to zip his mouth shut and leaned back against the wall.
“Go on,” Mia said.
“It’s not like I’d be alone with the children. Bernard, Amanda, and Charles will be on hand too.”
“My father will be working on the site. Bernard will be cataloging the find, and Amanda, I mean Mother, will be…”
“Watching the children,” Amanda finished. “I promise not to put a finger on a keyboard while the children are with us.”
Mia looked at the earnest face of her distracted mother and had a hard time not smiling. She’d never seen her this animated about the prospect of being with young children before.
“What we’re asking of you and Ted is, let us have the kids for a few weeks. We’d like the same opportunity you have afforded to Ted’s folks,” Amanda added to play on Mia’s guilt about being rather one-sided on the grandparental rights issue.
“It’s true the Martins have had more access, but they raised Ted and survived.”
“Hey,” Ted said. “I was an angel.”
“I’ve met angels, and from the stories your sisters tell, you weren’t even close,” Mia said, crossing her arms.
“Darling,” her father, Charles, started. “Don’t you remember the fun you had running around the dig sites?”
“I do remember getting into my share of trouble.”
“You survived. Brian will too.”
“Okay, I can see what a wonderful experience that two weeks on an archeological dig will be for Brian. But Varden is a baby. Leave him here with us.”
“Mia, I’d like to get a chance to bond with Varden,” Amanda said. “It won’t be long before he… well… he…”
“Flies away,” Bernard, Mia’s other godfather, filled in. “We know all about the charm Angelo placed to stop this, but he is a strong child, Mia. Let us enjoy being with him, teaching him the academic way of life, before he concentrates on the physical.”
Mia looked to Ted for help.
“He’s got a point. My folks have had their time with the boys. And it’s not just Amanda and Charles, but Bernard and Ralph will be there too. They are used to the little con artist.”
“Also known as Brian,” Mia said, just in case her son was listening at the top of the stairs. “He’s a handful for us. You’ll have to watch him. He’s got it into his head that he’s a wizard.”
“Actually, that was Nicholai, your birdman trainer, who put it in his head after he bluntly told Brian that he had no wings,” Ted said.
“He was greatly put out after that,” Ralph said. “Angelo had quite a time comforting him.”
Mia clenched her teeth. “It wasn’t Angelo’s place…”
“That’s neither here nor there,” Ralph said quickly. “Give us a chance. If I feel we are in over our heads, we will return the children promptly.”
Mia thought a moment. An idea came to her. “Dad, there’s a young man who seems to be able to keep up with Brian’s mischief. Would you consider taking him on for, let’s say, some college credit?”
Ted’s face lit up. “You’re talking about Ethan Aldridge.”
“Yes. He’s a very smart young man who has recently found out that the medical profession may not be his forte. How about an internship?”
“Dear, our daughter is blackmailing you,” Amanda said, quite amused.
“You’ll give us the boys for three weeks?”
“You said two,” Mia corrected.
“No, we said a few.”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “You’ll take on Ethan all summer?”
“Yes. I’ll even give him a stipend. Three weeks with Brian and Varden,” Charles said, extending his hand.
“Deal,” Mia said, shaking it before letting her father pull her in for a hug.
“Are you taller?” Charles asked.
“Two inches,” Mia and Ted chorused.
“Don’t ask her why,” Ralph warned. “I did and ended up replacing the carpeting.”
“Sorry, about that,” Mia said, remembering how the armor of her wings sliced the Berber like butter.
“Call this Ethan. Tell him we leave tomorrow if he wants to drive out with us,” Charles said.
“Tomorrow?” Mia squeaked. “I don’t have…”
“You don’t have to prepare anything,” Ralph said. “I have already purchased everything the boys need.”
“You were very confident of this, weren’t you?” Mia said, lifting an eyebrow.
“I knew you’d cave,” Ralph said and all but danced out of the living room and into the kitchen.
“I better go and break it to the boys that they’re leaving,” Mia said.
They watched her trudge up the stairs.
“It will do her good to have a rest,” Amanda said, putting her hand on Ted’s arm. “You two could work on giving me a granddaughter…”
“Mrs. Cooper,” Ted gasped. “Mia already feels like a brood mare.”
Amanda laughed. “I think we should have insisted that Dieter join us,” she said to Charles.
“I already asked him,” Charles said. “He has football camp this summer and some serious fishing to do with someone named Mark.”
“Burt has gotten the use of John Ryan’s boat and promises to teach the two of them how a Kansan fly fishes,” Mia said, walking down the stairs, carrying Varden.
“I’m a Kansan, and I don’t fly fish,” Ted said, looking at his nails.
“You’re too busy inventing,” Bernard said, patting him on the back.
“Bernard, you’re my greatest ally,” Ted said.
“He’s always been on Team Ted,” Ralph said. “Where’s Brian?”
“Packing,” Mia said. “He overheard us and insists on packing his own gear.”
“I better get up there and supervise,” Ralph said, coming out of the kitchen, carrying a supply of Ziploc bags.
Amanda walked over, and Mia handed Varden over to her.
“He’s a sturdy boy,” Amanda said. “Varden, I’m your grandmother Amanda.”
Varden looked at the woman whose wings were never realized. She had a strength to her that gave her a solid light of yellow. He snuggled into her neck, and she hummed to him.
“Awe, look at them, Mia,” Charles said. “You’ve made the right decision.”
“Just be careful. He’s very well behaved. He won’t tell you when he’s hungry,” Mia warned. “He eats a lot.”
“As much as you did?” Amanda asked. “I had to buy two loaves of bread. One for us and one for you.”
Mia blushed.
“It’s a wonder you weren’t a little butterball,” Charles said.
“Butterball,” Ted repeated. “I like that better than pumpkin.”
“Not if you like your testicles,” Mia hissed.
“See how she threatens me?” Ted said, backing away.
Charles laughed.
“I’m going to give Ethan a call,” Mia said. “I hope he takes this gentle shove in the spirit in which I’m shoving.”
Ethan listened to Mia’s explanation and smiled. “I never thought of pursuing a career in archeology,” he said honestly.
“My father will make sure you receive college credit for it, and I’m going to pay you under the table to spy on Brian.”
“Mia!” Ethan scolded. “You can’t ask me to do that.”
“I can ask. I just did,” she corrected.
“How about I give you a heads-up if things go awry? I’ll also step in if they appear to have Brian fatigue.”
“They are also taking Varden.”
“Bird boy? Huh. I think that’s a great idea. If I were
Brian, I would be more responsible if my younger sibling was around.”
“So, what I’m getting from you is that I’m being overprotective?”
“I think you’re being a caring parent and a cautious daughter. When do I have to be ready?”
“If you want to ride west with them, they will be here tomorrow morning.”
“That doesn’t give me much time. I’ll call Tom and tell him he has the place to himself for the summer.”
“I know this is rather sudden, and I appreciate the way you’re throwing yourself into this opportunity. I’m not sure I would be as available.”
“The old Ethan would have said no before you finished your explanation,” Ethan admitted. “But the boy that said yes to the wrong things and no to the sane things is gone. I’d love to have this opportunity.”
“I think you’ll like working with my dad. He can be a bit distracted, but for the most part, he’s fun to be around.”
“Thank you, Mia,” Charles said, taking the phone out of her hand. “Hello, this is Charles Cooper.”
Mia walked back into the living room. Amanda was there alone with Varden. He was sitting in his carrier beside her. She was motioning her hand and saying, “Grandmother.” She repeated this several times.
Varden looked and mimed the motion.
Amanda clapped her hands.
“What are you doing?” Mia asked.
“I read that babies could communicate sooner if they used sign language. You see, their vocal chords aren’t ready for…”
“Grrrrrmommm,” Varden said and motioned.
“Early speakers run on the Martin side of the family,” Mia explained. “But Varden’s physical abilities will also be advanced because of the Cooper line. Add in the superhuman genes and…”
“My god, he’s a marvel,” Amanda said.
“But he is still a baby. Both boys are emotionally their true ages, but their minds are swift. I think that’s the biggest challenge.”
“You mean, to accept their impatience and tantrums,” Amanda said sagely. “My sister could speak in two languages when she was two. My parents assumed I was slow when I followed the normal growth and intellectual patterns.”
Mia laughed. “Oh, Mother, you could never be slow.”
“I know. I think if there was more communication, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.”
“We can’t go backwards. I can, but still I can’t change things.”
“Oh, you’re talking about portals, aren’t you?” Amanda hissed. “Your father still hasn’t forgiven your friend Ed for dragging him all over the place.”
“I’m not sure I blame him. But Ed saved my life a few times. He’s teaching me about portals. He thinks that it’s important that I know how to get around multidimensionally.”
“Gee, I remember when you couldn’t open a jar of peanut butter, let alone a time portal.”
“She still can’t,” Cid said, walking into the room, carrying a tray of cheese and crackers. “I caught her using this foul looking dagger to slice the top off the jar.”
Amanda twittered as she laughed.
Varden looked at her and said, “Burd.”
“No Grandmother,” Mia said and made the sign.
“Grrrrrmommm,” he repeated, making the sign.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Amanda said. “Cid, Mia and Ted are going to let us take Varden and Brian on the summer dig with us.”
“Ralph, Bernard, and Ethan are going too,” Mia said quickly.
“I think that it will be a learning experience for all involved.”
“You’re such a diplomat,” Mia teased. “K. I know when to surrender. I’m going to go and pack Varden’s bag. Ralph may know what a baby needs to wear to be stylish, but I know what Varden needs to be comfortable in Wyoming in the summertime.”
Mia left Cid to converse with Amanda. She couldn’t believe that she and Ted were going to have three weeks without their active little boys. Burt didn’t have an investigation planned, and Nicholai was needed elsewhere, so Mia’s training had been postponed. It looked like she was going to have free time on her hands. Sure, she would worry about the boys, but that was to be expected.
“What’s the matter?” Murphy asked, materializing in the nursery.
Mia explained the situation.
“The boys will be fine. If you want, I could go…”
Mia wanted to say yes, but she also knew Murphy had his trees to see to. “I appreciate that, but I’ve got to learn to trust that the universe will look after the boys. Plus, if there is trouble, Varden seems to have the inside track on calling the cavalry.”
Murphy smiled. “He’s a good boy. Brian will be a handful, but your father will be a good influence on the boy. Brian needs to play in the dirt and get his hands dirty.”
“You’re right. He does.”
“I thought you would be overjoyed by getting a break from the children.”
“You would think so, but I have this unrest,” Mia said, patting her chest. “It’s a feeling that I can’t let go.”
“Describe it.”
“A chill as if someone just walked over my crime scene.”
Chapter Two
“The dead are watching us,” Kevin said, manifesting. He pointed to the tree line. “They are just inside the jungle in the shadows.”
Patrick turned, and with the glasses, he could see the wave of distortion that Ted told him would represent ghost activity. “How many?”
“Twenty, thirty, it’s hard to tell because they keep shifting,” Kevin said.
“What do they look like?” Mason asked, taking out the expensive camera and putting on a telephoto lens.
“Men, women, and children. Some dressed like Fergus and I, others wearing what I think of as underwear but Fergus assures me are bathing costumes of this century.”
“He’s got to get his head out of the books he’s missed and start looking at television. This is how Stephen stays up to date,” Fergus said, drawing his knife out of his boot.
“Mia sometimes pretends she can’t see a ghost to walk by them,” Mason prefaced. “Do you think this will work for us?” he asked the ghosts.
“Maybe. Too early to tell,” Kevin answered. “Fergus and I could approach them and…”
The ghosts disappeared.
“They’re gone now,” Kevin said.
“Gone or just invisible?” Patrick asked.
“Gone,” Kevin said, taking out his flask and taking a swallow of the alcohol to calm his nerves.
“Maybe they were warning us,” Mason said. “Keep away, this is our island.”
“Maybe,” Kevin said, not convinced. “Stick to the rocks, and probe the ground before taking a step,” he said, picking up a piece of driftwood and tossing it to Patrick. “Fergus and I will scout out any entrances to caves you can reach from this side of the island.”
“Good plan,” Patrick said. “Before you go… Were any of the ghosties French naval seamen?”
“I wouldn’t know from sight,” Kevin said. He looked at Fergus, and Fergus hunched his shoulders. “Why?”
“This island is evil according to the local lads. Maybe the crew of the America found out the hard way when they were delivering the merchandise,” Patrick surmised. “Maybe they were the island’s first victims.”
“I don’t know about that. The America was reportedly sunk in a battle between England and France. The ship left here,” Mason stated.
“But with a full crew?” Patrick asked. “The sandbar would have made it impossible for a Téméraire-class ship to dock inside the reef. They would have taken longboats to the island.”
“Okay, we have to think like sailors entrusted to deliver and hide merchandise on a spooky island. Where would we hide something like that? Remember, this was a royal commission but, also, a chore,” Mason said.
“First available cave above the tideline,” Patrick said. “Let’s confine our first search to the perimeter of the waterfall side
of the island.”
“I’m with you there.”
Sabine tried to concentrate on something else other than the negative vibes the island was emitting. Even from this distance, it was almost overwhelming for her. In her pain, she almost didn’t hear the signal from her satellite phone letting her know that she could now connect with the outside world. Sabine prayed she could get ahold of the person she trusted the most. This person would know how to pull Sabine out of the crippling and painful zone she had fallen into.
Sabine took a deep breath and hit number one on her preset numbers.
Mia had just wished safe travels to Jeff the gargoyle and was elbow deep in dirt when she felt her phone vibrate. She dropped the bush she was removing and pulled out her phone. “Please let them be okay,” she prayed, picking up the call from a strange number, thinking it was emergency services and her children were in danger.
“Mia, it’s Sabine.”
“Sabine,” Mia said and sat back on the ground, a wave of relief washing over her. “It’s good to hear your voice.”
“Mia, I think I’m in trouble.”
Mia’s mind flashed to Patrick, and she prayed he hadn’t knock up her cousin. “Give me your symptoms.”
“My head pounds. I’m nauseous. Extreme negativity…”
“Whoa, say that last bit again,” Mia said.
“The island is so horrible. It has negative, hurtful waves of emotions rolling off it, and they are crippling my senses.”
“Oh, I thought maybe you were pregnant.”
“Mia! Why would you think that?”
“Patrick. Those Callen men can be very charming and…”
“Oh no, Patrick has been a gentleman this whole trip.”
“That’s very suspicious,” Mia said.
“Can we talk about what I called you about?”
“Sorry, go on.”
“As you know, we are in the Caribbean looking for the Wall treasure.”
“You know, I completely forgot about that,” Mia admitted. “So, you’re chasing down clues and…”
“Guadeloupe was a dead end, but Mason found some information that the ship that was carrying the supposed treasure was stopping at a small island before it sailed on to North America. So, we took the yacht to the island. Mia, it’s horrible.”